Over half of the population on the globe come from Asia, and China shares half of that number. For thousand years, getting diligent and intelligent offspring to one’s family have been a dream carried from generation to generation in China. Lots of clinical record and experiences kept in medical books by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors, who intended to transfer their knowledge of eugenics to the public. Infertility research and treatment is one of the focuses in Chinese medicine.
In Western definition of Infertility for women, it is defined as the failure to become pregnant after a year of unprotected intercourse during the time of ovulation. A broader view of infertility includes not being able to carry a pregnancy to term. Infertility from a TCM point of view is taken as an imbalance in the body. In order to treat infertility first you must get the body back to a state of homeostasis.
According to statistics from the National Infertility Association of US, between 35 & 40% of infertility problems among couples are actually caused by male conditions. Factors that may cause male infertility:
Low sperm count (less than 10 million per milliliter)
Low volume (1-5ml per ejaculate)
Abnormal sperm shape & size (50-60% should be normal shape)
Reduced motility (over 60% should be motile and show forward movement)
Lifestyle, genetics and physiological changes can also be affect the rising and lowering of male fertility levels.
Anatomy in TCM is different from that of modern medicine. The energy system of meridians has been combined with the internal organs and associate more elements into a unified system. This kind of definition helps to extend the way of diagnosis and treatment.
In TCM the Kidney system contains our genetic makeup, controls the reproductive system and a woman’s hormones, it connects reproductive, skeletal, neurological and endocrine systems, stores Essence which is the foundation of our energy. If Kidney energy is deficient it will be difficult for a female to conceive.
The Liver system controls the smooth flow of Blood and is responsible for all transformations in the body including ovulation and menstruation. One main focus for treatment of infertility is to regulate the menstrual cycle and treat any conditions such as PMS and dysmenorrhea. The Liver system is prone to stagnation and can affect psychological issues such as depression, stress and anxiety.
The Heart system governs our mind and spirit. Relaxation and emotional balance is an important part of fertility. Heart also controls Blood and circulation as well as provides Blood for the Uterus.
The Spleen system governs energy production, metabolism, digestion and elimination. It converts nutrients and Qi into Blood and is essential for healthy menstrual cycle. Spleen system also affects thyroid hormone production and sustains the luteal phase.
The Uterus system is known as the “Palace of the baby”. It is connected with the rest of the body, especially the Heart and Kidneys. The Uterus is the source of Conception and Penetrating meridians.
Important meridians for infertility are the Penetrating meridian, Conception meridian, Governing meridian and the Girdle meridian. Penetrating Meridian – Presides over menstruation and hormonal cycles. Conception Meridian – Regulates Yin energy and connects with production of energy. Governing Meridian – Regulates Yang energy and oversees testosterone and progesterone production. Girdle Meridian – Binds the Penetrating, Conception, Kidney, Liver and Spleen meridians. It is used to drain excess vaginal discharge and restrains vaginal leakage, including miscarriage.
TCM looks at the body as a whole. With the TCM diagnosis and treatments, the body could recover to balance. TCM is also a great complimentary modality to western medicine treatment for infertility. Acupuncture has been shown in controlled scientific studies to be effective in helping both male and female infertility problems. In China several interesting controlled scientific studies demonstrate the clinical value of acupuncture and herbal medicine for infertility.
A study published in the July 2005 issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility found that acupuncture helped infertile men by apparently helping improve sperm quality in their semen. In the research project, 28 men received acupuncture in addition to traditional infertility treatments, while another 12 men received only the traditional treatments. All of the men were diagnosed with infertility of unknown origin. Acupuncture was associated with fewer structural defects in the sperm of men who received it, although it had no effect on other abnormalities, such as sperm immaturity or premature death. Previous studies have shown a link between acupuncture and improved sperm production and motility.
One of the main stumbling blocks to greater acceptance for acupuncture in the West is the lack of understanding of how it works. This began to change with the publication of a seminal report by researchers at the Harvard Medical School. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how acupuncture affects brain activity in normal subjects. Thirteen healthy volunteers (ages 27 to 52 years) were involved in the study. They were seated in the MRI scanner and after relaxing had an acupuncture needle inserted in the LI 4 or Hegu point (located on the hand between the thumb and forefinger). Needle manipulation caused a pronounced calming of activity in the deep structures of the brain (e.g., amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, etc.), accompanied by increased signal intensity in a key sensory region of the brain’s cortex. Researchers concluded, “Modulation of this neuronal network could constitute the initiating steps by which acupuncture regulates multiple physiological systems and achieves diverse therapeutic effect.” (Source: Human Brain Mapping, 2000)
Herbal medicine of TCM is also important in the treatment of infertility, especially with more complicated conditions. There are a couple of traditional remedies formulated with hundreds years of clinical experiences, which have been proved to treat infertility successfully. Most of those formulas have been developed into pill form, which is very convenient for taking. In TCM, each patient is considered unique with different condition; therapeutic plan can only be decided upon a complete diagnosis.
Acupuncture increases chances of success in IVF by 65%
Women undergoing IVF were 65 percent more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with acupuncture, a recent study has shown.
The remarkable success rate occurred across seven acupuncture trials involving 1,366 women in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a February, 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal.
Acupuncture was delivered either just before or just after embryo transfer – the moment when the embryo fertilized in the laboratory must attach itself to the wall of the womb to establish a pregnancy.
The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Maryland in America and the VU University Amsterdam in Holland. Researchers claim that because acupuncture costs only about $75 per session compared to $6000 to $10,000 per cycle for IVF, it would be a cost effective, safe and efficient way of boosting success rates in fertility treatment.
It is thought that acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, which controls the menstrual cycle and a woman’s ovulation.
Acupuncture is also thought to stimulate blood flow to the uterus and boost the production of endogenous opioids, inducing the body to relax.
Acupuncture has been used in China for centuries to regulate fertility. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic pain as well as many common and uncommon disorders.
Source: British Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.39471.430451.BE (February 2008)
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There is a good site for fertility with Basal Body Temperature Chart. Please find info on http://www.fertility.com